For an aftermarket air intake to be considered a CAI, dosen't the filter need to be at the bottom of the car, or can it sit where the stock box sits?

A coworker and my self are having a discussion, and I said that a CAI sits at the bottom front to get cold air, where as an aftermarket air intake that places the filter in the factory is just an aftermarket air intake

:?

Is a common conception that a CAI is a rice pipe or other type of intake replacement with a good filter in an "insulated" box where the stock box used to be.

The FWI is starting to become the preferred intake since it places the filter away from the engine compartment and down in the fenderwell where the air is cooler

I hope this settles the debate

From watching NOPI TV a few times it seems that everyone calls their insulated air boxes Cold Air Intakes....I guess it'* colder than the stock box or an open cone but not as sweet as the FWI.

Thanks guy'*. I was wrong in what I told him but, I learned something

It’* more than just the temperature of the air a “CAI” allows for but also the volume and it’* ability to injest greater volumes of air increasing it’* ability to read cooler incoming air. Keep in mind, “cool” has to be used in correlation with the outside temps. If it’* 90* outside, the coolest air that’* gonna get sucked in, is 90*. However, compared to your underhood temps, 90* is like sitting in a refridgerator.

In a perfect world, a “CAI” would have it’* filter and/or snorkel at the lowest point and where the greatest volume of air can be obtained. However, we don’t live in a perfect world. Due to the packaging of vehicles, engine’*, engine compartment layouts, sheetmetal layouts, etc, we’re kinda limited.

What a “CAI” of any sort does is allow greater volumes of air to be taken in, due to larger diameter plumbing, smoother curves, etc. Due to this increased volumetric efficiency, it also allows your IAT sensor to react more quickly to the change in the air temp of the imcoming air. In which case, loosely defined, it is a CAI. Connecting a simple scan tool and watching your IAT’* can tell you a lot.

Both OEM and aftermarket setups are subject to the same underhood conditions. It’* the ability of the aftermarket unit with it’* improved plumbing, less restriction, and overall better design (as the OEM unit is designed with many factors in mind besides performance), that will get the IAT sensor to read cooler, quicker, while at the same time flowing better.